Response to Extreme Weather Impacts on Transportation Systems (2014) / Chapter Skim
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From page 6... ...
6 CHAPTER TWO CASE EXAMPLES INTRODUCTION Case examples are tools for assembling and transferring knowledge on a subject into a single synthesis. The goal of this Synthesis Report is to identify common or recurring elements in state DOT responses to a diverse range of extreme weather events in order to advance state DOTs' capabilities for addressing future events.
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From page 7... ...
7 • Tree cutting and weed removal to minimize debris and sewer pipe cleaning to optimize drainage by maintenance crews • Staff checks of communications systems, flashlights, and other backup equipment, as well as checks of bulk fuel tanks and vehicles, which were topped off, as appropriate. • Development of evacuation plans, including consideration of contraflow plan in consultation with state police.
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8 park.
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9 of the state's most heavily traveled roads in 8-hour shifts in 53 trucks, helping to address obstructions to traffic, including breakdowns and debris (Stanley 2013)
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10 NJDOT used a lesson learned from 2011 in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which had caused $1 billion in damage in the state. After Irene, NJDOT staff developed "storm kits," which NJDOT required Hurricane Sandy crews to bring with them as they assessed damage.
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11 It was a "balancing act," but NJDOT found ways to seek consensus. NJDOT also made incremental, executive decisions on governance to progress recovery, such as making a "permanent" traffic control change on a temporary basis: painting a double yellow line down the southbound lane of Route 35 to clearly allow north- and southbound traffic and covering any signs that indicated otherwise.
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12 structure back to its original design and pre-disaster appearance under a fixed and aggressive time frame. Construction: • Full repair of key areas, using emergency contractors and working with the planning side of the house for on-call design contracts.
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13 as a result of closed roads (Missouri River Flood Coordination Task Force Report n.d.)
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14 Report n.d.)
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15 issues a DDIR report number. When the submitter completes the form, the system generates an e-mail notification to the administrator.
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16 – Expediting decision making with a small-group structure for project-level decisions and confidential matters – Ensuring that staff is trained and coordinating an agency wide implementation of a formal ICS – When possible, using established vendors or resources already under contract to control spending and avoid duplicating efforts. • Managing the transition from response to recovery (while the response is ongoing)
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17 water accumulating because of a lack of drainage on the roadway)
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18 nomic impacts its stakeholders may have been experiencing. For example, travel to and from work accounted for approximately 18% of the increased miles traveled under the detours (Missouri River Flood Coordination Task Force Report n.d.)
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19 – Placing the call center team in one room with a cubicle design to enhance privacy – Considering the use of a software program that provides statistics on caller volume. Other forms of public communication associated with the 2011 flood include use of the "Turn Around Don't Drown" public service messaging.
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20 convened sit-downs after its daily flood planning meetings specifically to review data and information in the form of the flood projections, LIDAR, real-time elevations, and aerial photography. Geospatial experts also received daily reports from district staff and supported the development of information used in Damage Survey Summary Reports submitted to FHWA, according to IDOT.
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21 • For events of long duration: – Seeking the assistance of vendors, contractors, or other outside resources, as needed, to ensure the timely completion of response-related activities – Designating a small group to focus on recovery as response efforts continue. • Involving state agencies with responsibility for permitting or other related issues earlier in the event • Adapting the current process for managing vendor contacts so it can be more flexible and take less time • Making arrangements to engage consultants, if needed, to assist with damage assessments and other recovery work while state DOT staff is still engaged in the flood response • On a case-by-case basis, weighing two factors of the consistency achieved through uniform use of consultants against the benefits gained through the application of local knowledge from internal staff members.
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22 • Considering the use of a software program that provides statistics on caller volume • Utilizing "Turn Around Don't Drown" public service messaging from a multistate initiative. Interagency Coordination: • Including FHWA on the team from the start • Coordinating with multiple state and federal agencies, including other states, through daily webinars and briefings by other agencies, such as NWS and the U.S.
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23 In May 2010, heavy precipitation in parts of Tennessee exceeded a 1,000-year, 48-hour storm event (Degges 2010)
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24 Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River. FHWA decided to station staff at the State Emergency Operations Center, given the scope of the impacts, to help in reporting up to the U.S.DOT in Washington, D.C.
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25 includes earthquake drills, given the state's location in the New Madrid seismic zone. In addition to this preparation, TDOT also drew from actual disaster responses, such as a 2008 tornado and more recent winter ice storms.
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26 Planning and Related Activities As a consequence of the 2010 flood, TDOT created an Emergency Management Steering Committee under the Assistant Chief of Operations. The steering committee was designed to address cross-functional issues surrounding the department's various roles in emergencies and included the Directors of Human Resources, Community Relations, Central Services, Maintenance, and representatives from each region.
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27 • Placing a design professional on assessment teams • Supplying brief ICS training during the event • Refining Continuity of Operations plan to outline how critical duties will be performed during these types of events • Giving consideration to creating an operations center within the headquarters building to facilitate rapid decisions, especially in off-hours • Designating assessment teams prior to these events, in each region and at headquarters • Conducting training -- for example, ICS training -- and equipping for future extreme weather events. Maintenance: • Managing tornadoes occurring during larger storm as (1)
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28 Among the most severe impacts was flooding in the Chehalis River Basin. After 15 in.
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29 and took several preparedness steps (WSDOT 2008)
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30 increased calls from the public at WSDOT headquarters and two regional offices. Calls at headquarters were so heavy that three people were needed to answer them continually until just before the end of the closure.
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31 To enforce the I-5 detour, WSDOT planned 24/7 traffic control points at a southerly junction in Morton, Washington, and one near Eatonville, Washington, farther to the north. Exits could become entry points, so exits were manned 24/7 as well (see Figure 11)
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32 assessments, there is a strong disincentive to send traffic to unprepared roads, because WSDOT has to pay for damages to local roads. Policy makers moved quickly after the December 2007 event to address the flooding issue in particular.
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33 sure. WSDOT staff expended considerable time managing the I-5 detour for several reasons, which follow (WSDOT 2008)
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34 • Developing a Commercial Vehicle Path System so that a statewide process is in place for diverting commercial traffic for future extreme weather events. Maintenance: • Beginning the recovery phase during the response phase, with the priority to get transportation moving again • Maintaining flexibility in determining what to ask from localities in the way of reimbursement for state DOT services provided during extreme weather events.
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35 of highway and 200 state-owned bridges sustained damage (Irene Recovery Report: A Stronger Future 2012) , leading to closures including the shutdown of the state's primary east–west highway (see Figure 12)
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36 Event Summary In late August 2011, states in the eastern United States tracked Hurricane Irene as it moved through the Caribbean and toward the East Coast. In Vermont at that time, as a result of prior storm events, soil moisture ranked well into the 90th percentile compared with long-term averages (Lubchenco and Furgione 2012)
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37 hauling road-building materials in the storm's aftermath.. Also, Vermont businesses were planning for two key tourist seasons: fall leaf-peeping and winter skiing.
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38 identified sections, including operations, planning, logistics, and administration (TS Irene .
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39 communication, and considering emergency fleet capacity when purchasing new vehicles • Identification and training of key personnel for future ICC duties in state-of-the-art technology (iPads, iPhones, etc.) through use on a daily basis so they will be familiar with them in an emergency • Standard Operating Procedure for the ICS, which may include standardizing financial processes, clarifying the role of planning, formalizing the role of IT, formalizing communication processes, ensuring that the Unified Command fully utilizes the ICS, and developing a three-tiered system because different disasters demand varying levels of resources and governance • Recording of the background and experience of all appointed staff team leaders to better understand their talents and ensure that the right people are in appropriate positions in ICS • Analysis of physical and geographic issues, including identifying the best locations for ICCs around the state, taking into account that those furthest from the ICCs tend to experience the most isolation • Understanding of the significance to the effort of where the UC is established • A Continuity of Operations Plan that reflects the ICC structure.
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40 • Better use of technology for gathering and sharing information immediately after the emergency, such as reliance on remote sensing in addition to scouts, including live video from a helicopter, satellite imagery, and LIDAR. Regarding Communications under an ICS, the following practices were noted as potentially helpful in the future (ReGeneration Resources 2012)
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42 VTrans is seeking to understand the most resilient approach to building or rebuilding its infrastructure. It is focusing on the influence of fluvial geomorphology on the behavior of rainfall.
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43 the State Command Center. VTrans would work with mappers routinely to update them.
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44 that material haulers from Maine and New Hampshire could pass into the state easily, the VTrans Operations Director worked with the VTrans DMV to secure weight and time of operation waivers ("Natural Disasters and State Transportation Lessons Learned: The Northeastern Operational Experience" 2012)
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45 In Vermont, VTrans Operations and Maintenance staff relied on forecasts from NWS and others in the days leading up to Irene. NOAA has concluded that these sources did not present forecasts of intense flooding with the clarity needed to achieve the appropriate level of preparedness in Vermont and emphasizes that rainfall forecasts and inland flood threats still needed communication even when Irene was downgraded (Lubchenco and Furgione 2012)
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46 • Addressing contracts administration under ICS by having contractors register; electronic invoicing and contracts processing system; developing administrative packet on invoicing, federal forms, emergency management levels, state and federal compliance issues, for state and for contractor staff; developing an emergency waiver process; standardizing the process for paying contractors under an ICS • Enhancing the use of technology when using ICS, including having a master list of cell and smart-phone contacts, expanding training in the state's maintenance tracking system, exploring use of cloud technology to enable robust use of mobile applications, continuing use of Google Maps, storing information needed in an emergency situation in one place, and enabling a single internal location for sharing data during an event • Improving workflow under ICS, including developing a process to track equipment lent to contractors, developing process for tracking materials supplied by contractors, and improving internal data collection for federal reimbursement by defining roles and supplying training, including training the trainers • Preparing for Operations role under ICS, including developing an "Emergency Design Manual" for use when reestablishing structural elements in an emergency, clarifying the level of civil engineer testing and documentation expected under response, and improving collection and use of geospatial data immediately after the event • Improving communications under ICS, including developing/updating internal processes for communications in ICS, developing/updating with stakeholders' external processes for communications in ICS, ensuring proper equipment will be on hand (including portable cell towers) , inspecting radios and cell phones, assessing emergency management software ahead of time, and developing alternatives for when power or cell reception is down.
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From page 47... ...
47 Interagency Coordination: • Embedding FHWA in state DOT activities related to the extreme weather event -- for example, in the ICS • Understanding the management requirements for using the National Guard • Accelerating approvals for weight and time waiver for trucks through internal coordination • Better integrating air and rail into emergency operations • Maintaining key role and place at the table in broader recovery effort, by taking responsibility for its early management • Including an environmental liaison in the ICS • Developing agreements and memoranda of understanding to define/update roles of agencies under Emergency Response situations • Meeting annually to check in on "who is who" at each agency and confirming contacts for future events • Defining roles in a state DOT ICS of Regional Planning Committees, which are congressionally required bodies of potential use in emergency response • Ensuring early engagement by all relevant agencies • Using same district boundary for all agencies in Emergency Response, noting state DOT maintenance districts may not be the most effective • Assigning or dedicating a state attorney to federal program reimbursement and other emergency response issues. Data and Knowledge Management: • Distinguishing Emergency Management processes from day-to-day processes in post-event assessment of a state DOT response to extreme weather event • Providing a structured forum and process for developing lessons learned from extreme weather events to capture practices and ideas for improvement, dedicating resources to hire a contractor • Identifying the data sets (e.g., information on bridges, record drawings)
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From page 48... ...
48 ing; more heavy equipment, such as loaders, dump trucks, graders, and snow-melters from ADOT&PF (in collaboration with the private sector) ; and additional employees from the ADOT&PF to operate the equipment (Situation Report 12-012 -- January 12, 2012 2012)
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49 general features; however, a separate winter storm event in another part of the state had precipitated the agency writing it down. The triggering event was a severe weather incident on Kodiak Island that required extended overtime work by crews.
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50 and moisture sensors on department equipment in the field, and other sources (Situation Report 12-012 -- January 12, 2012 2012)
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51 Road Weather Information Systems cameras noted earlier. The 511 system provides information in multiple formats, including via the department's web page, by telephoning 511, by means of an RSS feed, and via an iPhone application, Facebook, and Twitter (Emerging Practices in Winter Highway Maintenance 2012)
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52 • Considering several factors in deploying crews outside of their immediate geographic area, given the size of the state and limited transportation routes, such as the duration of the need and whether it is feasible to get the support there in time. Design: • Consideration of more severe storms and unpredictable weather that is expected and their implications on design; for example, the effects of the freeze–thaw cycle.
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53 Event Summary In 2011, 80% of Texas experienced "exceptional" drought, the most severe ranking according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA; Jervis 2011)
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54 Safety's (DPS) District Chairman to do so.
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55 Operations, who, in turn, contacts the Maintenance Supervisor (see Figure 19)
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56 saver during a wildfire event. As noted, TxDOT employees do not fight fires, so while on duty for TxDOT in 2011, no TxDOT employee, as noted earlier, used fire safety equipment or personal protective equipment.
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57 other states will offer up and quickly send resources to another state affected by a major disaster. Under EMAC and a related grant program, TxDOT may provide fuels to volunteer fire departments from other states supporting the Texas emergency management leadership on wildfires.
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58 • Ensuring employees have both FEMA training and a clear understanding of the state DOT's supporting role in wildfire control. Practices by Crosscutting Functions Communications: • Using the state's general Highway Condition Reporting System to present information on wildfires • Working with the state EOC to determine proper messaging for state DOT dynamic messaging signs in wildfire areas • Supporting knowledge transfer by providing technical comments to state legislature draft documents.
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From page 59... ...
59 heat buckling. WisDOT mapped the blow-ups on a Google Map, inputting a "pin" for each blow-up site.
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60 The WisDOT response was conducted under its "Adverse Conditions Communications Plan." A WisDOT interviewee stated that WisDOT had developed this plan largely for flood and winter storm events; however, by using its processes, the heat-buckling event could be treated as a major weather event. Although not Emergency Management, the plan's approach enabled clear lines of communication with state law enforcement on the ground, including, for example, timely deployment of Portable Changeable Message Systems.
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From page 61... ...
61 tunity for a more permanent fix. WisDOT is aware that it is not capturing the full cost of the blow-ups by folding the permanent repair into routine maintenance, but it believes efficiency is better served by making fewer trips to the relevant segment of roadway (see Figure 21)
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From page 62... ...
62 100 years." In short, if WisDOT says there is a blow-up, then county crews don't hesitate to go out and fix it. Data and Knowledge Management In 2012, WisDOT had awareness of the potential for heatbuckling impacts, based on events in prior summers.
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From page 63... ...
63 Practices by General State DOT Function Practices by mission-related functions Operations: • Activating the state DOT's Adverse Conditions Communications Plan, developed for snow and ice events, to address heat-buckling risk during prolonged heat events • Monitoring for impacts of an unusual weather event, leveraging prior experience • Identifying and marking the location of each impacted site using GoogleMaps and maintaining the map as an internal resource • Ensuring county maintenance crews are ready • Providing hourly updates to management • Asking the county partner to create a job code and to document the exact location of an event • Using detailed knowledge of federal programs to determine whether to pursue for FHWA or FEMA reimbursement. Maintenance: • Identifying and communicating the best time frame within a day for acting on heat buckling • Using temporary patch to quickly address heat-buckling incident to keep traffic moving and returning for specific patching or during routine maintenance • Providing crews with set of equipment needed, including traffic control (drums, arrowboards, crash cushions)
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